Thursday, January 21, 2010

MSP Margo MacDonald continues to try and get her legalised killing bill passed at Holyrood, she believes there is such a thing as dignity in death












Dear All

Margo MacDonald is an independent MSP at the Holyrood Parliament.

She is suffering from Parkinson’s disease.

At present she is attempting to get passed at Holyrood, a private members bill called End of Life Assistance (Scotland) Bill.

She is under the mistaken belief that those who believe that their lives have become “intolerable” should have the right to kill themselves with help, what she calls a dignified death at home.

Death isn’t dignified.

It would turn Scotland into a destination in the UK for those wanting to commit suicide; although her bill has clauses which she says will make this difficult.

But not impossible!

So, is it morally right for this bill at Holyrood to pass into Scottish law?

No!

One can understand her self interest but it is completely unacceptable for her to abuse her position as an MSP in this way.

This bill also has serious implications in other future health issues.

If we accept it is acceptable for the state to sanction legal suicide, this will erode over time to doctors thinking that they should make the judgment on terminally ill.

The idea over time would be that professional trained and educated doctors would make informed decisions on who is human viable to be saved and for how long.

This bill is a slippery slope which should opposed by politicians.

It wouldn’t be beyond the realm of reasonable thinking that those not viable should be stripped of viable material for transplants.

Of others killing themselves in Scotland Margo MacDonald said;

“Speaking absolutely personally, if folk could get a dignified death in Scotland then they are welcome as far as I am concerned.”

She also said yesterday that she did not want to place a loved one in the position where they would have to decide between helping her and breaking the law.

That option already exists in Forch, near Zurich, Switzerland where a clinic called Dignitas operates assisted suicide.

Scotland is not a country that such a law should be passed.

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sorry George but I am 100% agin your position.

G Laird said...

Dear Bugger

People have views.

I am 100% against her on this.

If she wants to die sometime in the future of her own choosing then she should go to the swiss clinic.

Her bill will have a knock on effect of pressurising old people that killing yourself is a viable option.

I would say her stance is an abuse of elected office.

And she should resign from Parliament.

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

fifty30 said...

I have just finished watching my gran srarve herself for three months due to dementia and of course it took over and I know that that is not the way she wanted to go.I am in supported but think / worry about who will get the final say.